The Planning Commission today said the 12th Plan is likely to retain the farm growth target at 4 per cent, as the previous two Plans failed to achieve it.
“The 4-per cent agriculture growth is a good target for the 12th Plan (2012-17), which could not be achieved so far, as envisaged in the 11th Plan (2007-12),” the planning commission deputy chairman, Dr Montek Singh Ahluwalia, said.
“I think at the end of the 11th Plan, our assessment is that agriculture would show a better performance than in the 10th Plan (2002-07). However the 4 per cent growth in agriculture has not been yet achieved,” he said.
Initiating the work on the 12th Plan, Dr Ahluwalia will preside over the first meeting with academics, experts and officials on Saturday. The panel will prepare an approach document for 12th Plan, which will be finalised by 2010-end.
About the sluggish farm sector growth, Dr Ahluwalia said, “agriculture growth is very crucial. We have already been emphasising on agriculture. But I think that we have to do even better.”
Asked about the economic growth target for the next Plan, he said, “that is very clear.
The Prime Minister has asked us to explore the feasibility of reaching 10 per cent growth.
And the process of drafting the 12th Plan will begin with the output from outside experts. This would help us in getting realistic assessment.”
“We will look at achieving 10 per cent growth. If it is not possible to do an average then can we move from maybe 9 per cent at the end of the XIth Plan , which is our hope. On the need to give the major thrust to infrastructure in the next Plan, he said, “infrastructure is going to be important if you want a 7.5 per cent growth.” — PTI